PALS Meeting Today -- Exam Preparation

PALS is having a brown-bag lunch meeting today, Nov. 24, at 12:30 in Room 212-213. We are hoping that 2L and 3L members will come to share their study strategies with the 1Ls, who are busy preparing for their first exams. How were you able to prepare for exams and still have time to spend with your family? How much time did you spend outlining? Is it worth taking the time to do practice exams? Which commerical aids (if any) did you find helpful? Please leave some advice for 1Ls in the comments.

Barbri/Rigos/Tesdahl

How to choose a bar prep course? Here are a few thoughts on what I observed the last few weeks of Barbri v. Rigos. I hope others will add their comments and corrections, too. (I think Tesdahl is great too, by the way -- I have a neighbor who did it a few years ago -- but I don't know anyone who used it recently.)

Overall, my conclusion was that I wished I'd done Rigos. I think you can pass with either course. But the Rigos method seemed less stress inducing. I heard from both Barbri and Rigos studets who noticed the difference. Plus, Rigos sent encouraging, pump-em-up type messages in the day before the bar and held a party afterward. Not that you should base your decision on the availability of alcohol afterward, but it seems emblematic of the attitude.

• Both courses consist generally of listening to lectures, outlining and taking practice exams.
• Lectures are by SU or UW professors, by local specialists or (for Barbri) a couple of people who go around the country giving specialized lectures. Hard to guess which course had better lecturers -- they both seemed to have some great ones (Rigos has Donaldson, Barbri has Calandrillo) and some not-so-great ones.
• Rigos focuses a lot on outlining. Students are recommended to spend about five hours a day outlining, and three hours taking practice exams.
• Rigos is heavy on mnemonic devices. Barbri has few mnemonics other than the ones you've heard already (OCEAN, etc).
• Barbri focuses more on taking practice exams. Barbri recommends two hours a day outlining, and then practice exams until you collapse from exhaustion. (It's only been a few days since the bar and I've already forgotten the daily study schedule, how awesome is that?)
• Rigos had 26 graded essays, Barbri had 21. Barbri's feedback was handwritten, Rigos came through email. Lots of good feedback either way.
• Both programs have practice questions that are actual bar questions released by the bar association in past years, and include a sample passing answer, also released by the bar. Barbri also includes a "model answer" for the first 4-6 essay questions of each type. Rigos does not. The model answers are a mixed blessing. They include almost every point you could think of to address in the question. This is good if you want to learn to be thorough, and we all want to pass, so we all want to be thorough, right? However, it also can be discouraging if you didn't get all the points, or drive you absolutely nuts if you're trying to drive yourself to learn everything. As an example, I took a practice question on a subject I'd studied pretty thoroughly, and compared my answer to the model answer, and felt like a complete failure because I'd missed half the points. Then I compared my answer to the sample passing answer and felt like a law savant.
• Both curricula have you turn in sample essays periodically to be graded. The schedules are different, but I couldn't say which is better.
• With either program, the real key is figuring out how you memorize the best. (Not learn. Memorize.) That might be flashcards, speaking aloud, repeated test-taking, rote repetition... you pretty much have to figure that out on your own.

What else, y'all?

More on Outlining

Lisa asked me to describe my outlining system. Here is what I try to do every quarter:

I take notes in the book before class, writing out any questions in the margin. During class, I take notes on my laptop, using a new Word document for each week. At the end of the week, I print out those notes, read them over, and organize them into outline form. This takes me a LONG time.

Near the end of the quarter (maybe a week before classes end), I go through my longer outline and condense it to a 10-20 page outline. I try to make sure that I understand each key concept as I condense the outline. Like Lisa, I also try to create a short, 2-page outline to take into the exam with me.

Ideally, I finish all of this outlining a week before exams start so that I have the rest of the time to do practice exams. Before my 1L fall exams, I spent so much time on my outlines that I didn't have time to take practice exams, and that was a HUGE mistake. I think it is more important to take lots of practice exams and go over the answers with other classmates than it is to have the perfect outline.

I had Schnapper, Wolcher, and O'Neill during my first quarter -- if anyone wants to see my outlines for those professors, email me at porterc@u.wash

Also, I think Professor Kaltsounis's outlines are the best I've ever seen, and she has great advice about studying for exams. If you couldn't make her outlining session, at least ask if you can take a look at her outlines sometime.

Outlining

Ok so I missed the big "how to outline" shindig this week -- was it any good? 1Ls, if you want outlines from your PALS pals, let us know (email me, kremerl@, or put a comment here) what class you need an outline for. We might not have had the same teacher as you, but it's often helpful to see how other people did it.

Everyone's outline is different. I have a friend who isn't happy unless she has a 70-page, single-spaced outline to take into an exam. I do best when I've managed to condense my outline down to about 15 pages, and also have a two-page version along with me. One friend of mine made an enormous color-coded civil procedure outline with charts and graphs and boxes and lord knows what else.

So, here's my process. (I'll try to get some other 2Ls and 3Ls to describe their system here (any volunteers?)) In 1L year, I would read the material in advance and take notes in outline format, using the structure of the casebook. Then I'd take copious notes during class. Toward the end of the quarter I'd combine my handwritten notes and my outline. Which took forever.

Now my system, if things are going well, is this: At the beginning of the week, I quickly create an outline of the material we'll be covering. Before class, I read that day's material, writing notes into the book if I think I'm going to be called on. During class, I type notes into my outline. At the end of the quarter, as I'm preparing for the exam, I usually can just tighten up the outline I've already created, and find the spots where I'm confused and clarify them. Then my main occupation is synthesizing the info so I can create my 2-page version.

Structuring the outline can be tricky. Usually I just use the structure of the casebook itself, which can be very helpful in orienting myself when I'm feeling lost. But for some professors (see Schnapper) it's more helpful to create the outline based on the syllabus. For other professors it can be a combination of both.

Exam prep

If you haven't yet seen Prof. Aronson's lecture on "How to Prepare for and Take Law School Exams," don't miss it. It'll be 3:30-5:30 p.m. Nov. 13 in room 138. This is what I would call a babysitter worthy event. Or, you could probably watch it from the RLR if necessary.

Also the Career Center is having a workshop on resumes and cover letters at 12:30 Nov. 7 in room 133. It's as good a place to eat your lunch as anywhere else.